Micky ahead of Sunderland clash

Tranmere Rovers manager Micky Mellon says he wants his players to “compete” ahead of Wednesday night’s Sky Bet League One fixture at home to Sunderland.

Phil Parkinson brings his in-form side down from the North East for a Prenton Park clash under the lights, kick-off 7:45pm.

And the boss had his say on Wednesday’s contest when he spoke to the local media.

Mellon said: “This now is the level that we are at and we’ve got ourselves to, and we’ve got to embrace it, we want to improve in it and compete in it.

“We’ve got to pick up points, we know that, and we absolutely understand that to keep clean sheets, score the first goal, score goals and be a threat through the 90 minutes.

“We have to run hard and we have to compete hard, so you know the asks of the games that we are competing in, so we have to hit the levels.

“We need to improve defensively, we need to get more first goals and more consistent in our performances, we have to be prepared to run at a level that a footballer suffers. We are getting better at that and we accept that’s the asks of the league, and we are improving.”

Micky is expecting the Black Cats to pose a difficult test when they visit the Wirral.

He added: “It’s a really tough league because a lot of the teams are evenly matched. It’s interesting as anyone can beat anyone in the league, and it is a tough division to get out of.

“Sunderland will be tough. They are on a good run and they will have a big backing. We will have to overcome what they will bring.”

Micky’s pre-match thoughts and more exclusive video content isavailable on iFollow. CLICK HERE to sign up and watch!